Burnout can be difficult to spot if you’re already in it. After all, if you’re anything like me, running yourself into the ground because such a natural habit that you don’t even notice how long it’s been since you’ve last had a break. Go ahead and think about it for a second…when is the last time you’ve really taken some time for yourself?

If the answer is “I can’t remember” or “This morning as I was folding my kids’ laundry and talking my sister through her difficult divorce…” this article is for you.

So what exactly are a few symptoms of burnout? A constant feeling of exhaustion, a general feeling of just not caring anymore, a feeling of not being appreciated or the idea that every, single day is a bad day. Well here are a few traps that lead to burnout and how you can be ready to dig yourself out should you fall into one of them.

1.) Constantly comparing yourself to others. Let’s get this one out of the way right away. You have certain strengths and you have certain weaknesses. If you’re finding yourself overwhelmed and frazzled with the stresses of being a new mother, don’t compare yourself to the mother with 6 kids. She probably seems a little more put together because she’s figured out how to do this. She’s been doing it for 10 years while you’ve been doing it for 10 days. You can learn from her, but don’t compare yourself to her.

The same example can be used in the workplace. Your office buddy closed three sales this week and you haven’t made one all month? Calm down, and take a look at the situation. Your office buddy has been doing this for years and you just started last month. You will get there.

2.) Poor planning or time management. I have a friend who always complained that she had no time. She would start running errands at the beginning of the day, and would never be done by the end of the day. One day, before she started her errands, another friend of mine suggested she do them in a different order. Saved her 3 hours.

Now I’m sure this seems like a simple case of common sense, but the truth is many of us are going about our daily activities with this same sense of mindlessness. Prioritizing your day’s activities can go a long way towards being able to actually relax in the evening.

3.) Saying “Yes” to everything. It can be tough to say “no”, especially when the word is associated with someone who isn’t working hard. It’s generally thought that if your boss asks you to take on another assignment, you say “yes” no matter what. But if taking on a new assignment means your current projects are going to suffer, is the trade-off worth it?

In addition, saying “yes” to everyone, all the time, dramatically increases the chance that you’ll be taken advantage of. Eventually, people will just start assuming you’ll say “yes” before you’ve even answered them. Saying “no” once in a while reminds them that you do, in fact, have a choice in the matter. And yes, as much as you may sometimes think you don’t, you do always have a choice.

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Stories from the Creek

We want us to all just get along, be accepting and laugh at life. That is where the blog comes in. We will tell you stories about us and the people we meet as well as share ideas for using silence and collaboration. Feel free to tell us your story, because that is what we are really interested in, you and your story of success.